Suggestion 138. Go to class before it begins

IF YOU WANT TO:

• Be accessible to students out of class

• Check out the room and equipment in advance

• Get to know your students

Going to class before it begins.

A physics professor makes a point of going to his classes a half-hour early (if the room is vacant) to erase the board, check out the equipment and demonstrations he will be using and write a brief review on the board (e.g., pertinent equations, key phrases, topic areas).

"This activity gets me in the teaching frame of mind and refreshes the students about the important points we covered the last time," he notes. "It also has the unintended value of increasing the opportunities I have to talk informally with students. Five or six students come early to the class each time to ask questions, share ideas, or just talk."

Limitations on Use of Suggestion

  Discipline:  None
Course Level:  None
 Course Size:  None
        Mode:  None

Copyright 1983 by the Regents of the University of California

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